A lifelong Journey
by Philes
Summary: Based on the Kanto saga of the videogames. Characters based off those in the game. Rated T because I want options later on. Follows the story of Red. Reviews are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Author notes: This is my first Fanfic. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated, though compliments are nice too. I'll get new chapters up whenever I feel like it.

Disclaimer: The characters Red, Blue, and Green are all based off of game characters. Red the protagonist, Blue the Rival, and Green the once believed female counterpart to the hero. Therefore, I do not own any of those characters. Allison is the only OC. I do not own Pokémon, nor anything within the world created by Gamefreak.

Chapter 1

_Pallet town_

"When poisoned, the Pokémon will lose HP throughout the battle, and unless healed with the use of a Peacha berry, or an antidote, will continue to lose its remaining HP as you walk." Professor Oak said, he wrote on the chalk-board. He turned around to look at his students. There were four of them. There was Blue Oak, his own grandson, a boy with spiky brown hair, who was busily writing down what his grandfather had put up on the board. Then there was Green, a young girl with long hair streaming behind her back, in his class who was busily chatting with Allison, another girl, she had shorter red hair, and brown eyes. Then his final student was Red, a boy about the same age as Blue, he wore a cap over his unwieldy brown hair. The two were once close friends, but the idea of going on two separate Pokémon journeys caused that friendship to turn into a rivalry, to see who could become the best. Red was staring at the Pokéball on the front of his desk. Inside contained his first Pokémon, a Squirtle. The four trainers had been chosen for the class one year ago, and had signed up for the Pokémon that they had wished. Blue's Pokéball contained a Charmander, and the two girls both had Bulbasaurs. Today was the last day of the year long course, and was simply review for their departure. They would be sent off after a weekend of bonding with their respective Pokémon, so that the Pokémon would better respond to their commands.

Prof. Oak finished reminiscing about his students when he realized that he had been off in his own world for near five minutes. All four of them were looking at him in confusion, even the distractible Allison was looking at Prof. Oak in an anticipative manner. The Prof. quickly turned around and cleared his throat. "Ah yes um, where was I? Ah yes, status effects, now a burn is similar to poison in that it hurts the Pokémon during the battle however…" Prof. Oak began to ramble on, and Red returned to looking at the Pokéball containing Squirtle. The turtle Pokémon was visible from the Pokéballs semi-transparent top, it was smiling at its trainer. From what the Prof. had told him, the Squirtle had a rash nature, and was a thoroughly cunning Pokémon. Red put his finger on top of the Pokéball and moved it around. The next thing Red knew was that an eraser had been thrown onto his face and he was flat on his back. "Pay attention Red!" the voice of Prof. Oak rang out. Red got up, holding his nose in pain.

"But professor, you were just daydreaming too!" Red continued to rub his nose. Prof. Oak gulped at this and turned quickly around.

"Um, agh, you're all dismissed! I'll see you all on Monday to give you your Pokédexes and Pokéballs!" The professor yelled out as quickly as he could. Blue looked up at his grandfather in confusion.

"But Grandpa, it's only noon." He said.

"I SAID YOU'RE DISMISSED!" The professor said and shooed them out of his lab. He shut the door behind them and took a deep breath, and was relieved that his students were gone. However he heard a knock at the door and opened it again, Blue was still standing at the door. "Hm? What is it Blue? Did you forget something?"

"Grandpa, did you forget I live here?" Prof. Oak groaned in embarrassment and let Blue in. Grumbling about that he can't get a break, Blue just shook his head and released Charmander, and headed to the back of the lab for some training.

Red, Green, and Allison walked down the hill from the lab. Green and Allison were chattering away as usual. Red walked alongside them, he however was more focused on getting home as fast as possible. This was his last weekend at home, before becoming an official Pokémon trainer. So he wanted to bond with Squirtle as much as possible, he had heard that often times, Squirtles would not obey trainers when first caught, so he wanted to win over it's trust before the end of the weekend. The three of them came to a fork in the road, Red waved goodbye to the girls and took the left route. As Red walked, a small breeze blew over the town, the long grass in the distance created shining waves from the combined efforts of the sun and wind, and the rustling provided a gentle sound that could lull anything to sleep. The sound was broken however when the flock of Pidgey that lived in Pallet town flew over the path, happily chirping in the warm summer day, and if you listened carefully, you could hear the sea washing up against the shore in the distance.

Red in the meantime reached his home and walked inside, taking off his shoes. His mother's shoes were not there, so Red assumed she was out shopping. Red took the Pokéball off his belt and released Squirtle. Squirtle appeared on the floor of the house; it stretched, and yelled out its name in gratefulness. The noise from Squirtle woke something from upstairs. It pranced down the stairs to greet its family member. "Eevee! Eevee!" the Pokémon said as it dashed down the stairs. Red pat the small Pokémon on the head and moved through the house into the kitchen. He reached up into the cabinet and took out to cases of Pokémon food, one for Eevee, which was similar to kibble, and one for Squirtle, which was more of a fish soup. They both proceeded to gobble up the food as if their lived depended on it, as per their norm. Squirtle finished first and gave a large belch of satisfaction. Eevee however finished in quiet dignity. Once Eevee finished, both she and Squirtle went outside to play for a bit, Red went out to join them. There was a small creek that ran near the back of Reds house, and there was even a small stone bridge that allowed people who didn't feel like getting wet over. Squirtle jumped into the creek and began to drink the water. Eevee drank some water too; however she stayed on the shore. Eevee had always acted calmer, and more collected than Squirtle. As the Pokémon had their drink, Red heard the door to his house open and close, which meant that his mother was home. He paid this no mind however, and he walked over the bridge, and the two Pokémon followed him. Red went out into some of the tall grass within the town. He walked into it with Squirtle and Eevee behind him. A Pidgey from the towns flock jumped out of the grass. Red sent out Squirtle, who took a stance in front of its trainer.

When the Pidgey saw the Squirtle, it immediately used sand-attack. Squirtle turned around to avoid it, and when Pidgey stopped, waited for its trainers command. "Use Tackle Squirtle!" Red said, and Squirtle went in for the attack. It hit dead on, and the Pidgey was sent tumbling backwards. The Pidgey came in for a tackle itself, and Red ordered Squirtle to do the same. The two weak attacks hit dead on, and both Pokémon were hurt, but Squirtle was a higher level, and didn't take as much as Pidgey, which fainted after the second strike. Red praised Squirtle, and then used a revive on the Pidgey, who flew away once it was able to. Red turned back around to see that Squirtle was blowing bubbles from its mouth; Eevee was avoiding the bubbles, so Red assumed that Squirtle had learned bubble from the fight. Red felt something on his wrist, his PokéGear was vibrating, his mother was calling. He answered it. "Hi Mom."

"How did class go? Why were you let out early?" His mother said over the phone.

"I'm not really sure mom."

"Well, just keep an eye on the time, dinner is at 5:30 okay?"

"Come on mom! I'm about to become a Pokémon trainer! I need to learn how to fend for myself!"

"That's no excuse to not come to dinner when you're still at home. 5:30."

"Okay mom." Red said. Hanging up and groaning. He looked at his PokéGear, it was about 1 O'clock. He left the tall grass, seeing as all the work he had done for Squirtle had paid off, he left the tall grass and headed back to his house, and the creek. After all, the weekend was for learning about the Pokémon, not just training them.

Back at the Pokémon Laboratory, Prof. Oak was working on his computer, entering the logs from the day. He received an E-mail. He curiously clicked on it. An E-mail from the Indigo Plateau.

**The ultimate trainers of the Pokémon League are ready to take**

**on all comers, **

**Bring your best pokemon and see how you rate as a Trainer! **

**The tournament will take place in 12 months.**

**Trainers, from the experienced to the novices, use your time wisely. **

**The winner will have the chance to face the Elite 4, **

**And attempt to claim the title of Pok****é****mon Champion!**

**Pokemon League HQ Indigo Plateau. **

**P.S. Prof. Oak, please visit us! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Pokémon battle. _

The sun shone brilliantly on that Sunday morning. The rays of light bathed Pallet town in its splendor. In the distance, a Dodrio from Prof. Oak's lab cried out. The first of the town to wake up, and it crowed again. The large clock behind it struck 7 O'clock, and the bells on the lab rang out, surprising the Dodrio and making it fall off the roof it had worked so hard to climb up. Red awoke from the sounds, yawning and stretching on his bed. He pulled the covers up farther and drifted back to sleep. Squirtle was within its Pokéball, and Eevee was asleep on the couch in the living room. Red's mother, Julia, on the other hand, was already up and about. She flipped an egg in the frying pan and let it simmer. She flipped the other egg, and once it hit the pan, she called for Red, who paid her no mind, he was far to busy dreaming about tomorrow. She called again, still Red did not stir. So she went to plan B. "Eevee, could you come here please?" Eevee awoke to this, and began to tread over to Julia. She sat obediently and awaited commands from Julia. "Eevee, could you go get Red up please?" She said, with a strangely sadistic smile on her face. Eevee yawned and climbed the carpeted stairs up to Red's room. She pushed open the slightly open door and walked in. She then sat near Red's bed. She began to pester him in all manners, but nothing worked. "No need to be gentle Eevee." Julia rang out. Eevee responded, and hit Red with a tackle. Red was defiantly awoken by this, and gripped his stomach in pain. However the pain quickly subsided and he dressed himself, finishing by putting on his hat. He grabbed Squirtle's Pokéball and headed downstairs. He arrived in the dining room, where Julia was setting the table. "Good morning Red!" She said with that same smile on her face.

"Yeah… sure mom." Red said. He'd seen that smile many times before. He sat down at the table and began poking at his egg. He then grabbed the fork next to his plate and began to eat the egg; there was salt and pepper on it.

"So, tomorrow is the day you leave home. Oh, you're all grown up." Julia said, a slight tear in her eye. She missed her only son already.

"Yep. Tomorrow I head out with Squirtle on my journey. It's exciting." Red said. He finished his toast and moved in on the bacon.

"Just remember to stay well supplied on the road. I'll give you some kitchenware tomorrow before you leave. And another little surprise." Julia said.

"Hm? What is it?"

"No, no, you don't get to find out until tomorrow."

"Aw come on!"

"No Red. Now then, since you already inhaled your bacon, why not spend some more time with Squirtle?"

"Uh, sure? I was planning on doing that anyway."

"Just be careful. No roughhousing."

"Okay mom." Red finished. He held Squirtles Pokéball in his hand and headed out the door.

Red walked down the road. He figured he would enjoy his last day in Pallet town, the soft breeze that was blowing was similar to the one a few days ago. Squirtle popped out of its ball and began to walk alongside its trainer. Red walked through the town in blissful unawareness. Suddenly, Squirtle pulled on Red's jeans.  
"Squirtle, Squirtle!"

"Hm? What's going on?" Red said. He looked at Squirtle, then ahead of him. Blue was standing in their path; Charmander was out of its Pokéball. The two rivals looked each other in the eyes. "Hello Blue." Red said. Blue just looked at Red's Squirtle.

"You've been training it." Blue said.

"Yeah, what of it?" Red responded. Looking at Charmander, he noticed that it seemed to have grown a few levels as well. "You've been training yours as well."

"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle." Blue said. Charmander stepped up in front of it's trainer and growled. Squirtle stepped in front of it's trainer as well.

"Fine, I accept your challenge!" Red said. Here it was, their first showdown. Red was determined to win. He even had a type advantage. There was no way he could lose.

Red ordered Squirtle to use Bubble, and it shot the water attack strait at Charmander, who was ordered to counter with its own attack, Ember. The two elemental attacks collided in the air and canceled each other out. Squirtle was ordered to use tail whip to lower Charmander's defense then went in for a tackle, but Charmander used scratch as well. Both Pokémon took the attacks, along with the damage received from them. Both Pokémon were knocked back from each other, though they quickly got up. Squirtle used bubble once again, this time it made a direct hit, catching Charmander off guard. It was a critical hit, and Charmander fell over, however it still managed to get back up. It used Ember and the attack headed strait towards Squirtle, who took the attack, not taking much damage, but fell to it's knee, it had been burned. It stood back up, but Charmander had already come in for a scratch attack. The attack hit Squirtles burn, causing extra damage. Squirtle fell back on its shell, flinching from the attack. Charmander took advantage of this and used ember. The attack hit at point blank range, Squirtle took the attack, and threw Charmander off of it. Squirtle jumped back to its feet and blew the bubbles at Charmander. Charmander jumped over them and rushed Squirtle, Squirtle responded by going in for a tackle. The two Pokémon went tumbling. Squirtle broke out of the grip and fired the bubble attack at Charmander, Charmander rolled out of the way and hit Squirtles burn with another scratch attack. This last attack caused Squirtle to faint, ending the match.

Red looked at his fainted Pokémon, held out its Pokéball, and recalled it. The small laser hit Squirtle and pulled it back into the ball. Red looked at the transparent top, Squirtle was now resting inside. He looked up; Blue had turned back around and walked the other way, Charmander following him. Red turned his eyes back to Squirtle. "I'm sorry Squirtle." Red said, putting the Pokéball on his belt. He continued to walk down the road. Perplexed on how he could have lost. He found himself walking into the interior of the town, towards the only restaurant in the town. He crossed the street and went inside, found a seat and ordered some food, some for himself, and some potions for Squirtle. When the orders came, Red paid what he could, it took him down to his last penny, but he would be getting plenty of money once he started off tomorrow. He released Squirtle from its Pokéball and began to spray it with the potions. Healing it, or at least partially, by tomorrow it would be just fine. He stayed in the restaurant for nearly an hour. People came and went, but Red stayed there, wallowing in self pity. He had lost his very first Pokémon battle. Before he even started his journey, and by his rival no less, and that realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Squirtle on the other hand, was feeling just fine, now that it had been healed and gotten some food, blissfully unaware of its trainer's mental turmoil. Squirtle yawned and wiggled its way down underneath the table; it retracted all but its tail into its shell, and went to sleep.

The door to the restaurant opened, and Green walked in, Bulbasaur walking by her side. She looked around and saw Red moping at his table. She sneaked over to him, silent as a cat, and then sank her fingers into his back, startling him. He regained his composure and looked to the girl. "What was that for?" Red asked.

"Just getting your attention, why are you so down in the dumps?"

"Because I just got my ass handed to me in a Pokémon battle with Blue, that's why."

"What? Red, we weren't supposed to battle the others in our class, Prof. Oak said so!"

"Well I did. And somehow, Squirtle lost to Charmander."

"Red, you know Blue is talented when it comes to Pokémon, he's lived with them his whole life!"

"That's just it! I was so sure I'd win, I even had the type advantage. Yet somehow he was able to overcome it."

"Like I said, he good with Pokémon, Charmander was probably just a higher level than Squirtle." Green said. "You'll get another chance."

"I guess."

"Come on, why don't we let Squirtle and Flower play for a bit? It's going to be a long time before they see each other again."

"Flower?" Red inquired.

"That's what I named Bulbasaur."

"Oh." Red said. He got up and headed out the door with Green. They came to Pallet Town Park, and let Squirtle and Bulbasaur play in the grass. The idle play that would soon be a rarity, because starting tomorrow, it would be time to train. Red swore to himself, that he'd never lose to Blue again; he wouldn't allow himself to fail the Pokémon that had put its trust in him. He looked at Squirtle, telling himself that he would make Squirtle as strong as it could be.


End file.
